Follow the Money

Some of the world’s most malignant criminals never pulled a trigger or detonated an explosive, but they have ruined countless lives. By the most conservative estimates, white-collar crime costs the U.S. $300 billion per year—more than four times the annual budget of the Department of Education. However, in 2017, the prosecution of white-collar crime was at a 20-year low. So why do crimes such as insider trading, embezzlement, predatory lending, Ponzi schemes, and threat financing often go unpunished?

Armed with elite legal teams and well-heeled lobbyists, many white-collar criminals seem untouchable or “too big to jail.” But are they really? The Follow the Money series explores various types of financial crimes and interviews experts in the field on how to bring these robber barons to justice.

Everything in a Ponzi scheme is designed to take advantage of the blinding aspect of greed and divert attention away from the details. But the details are exactly where forensic investigators are trained to look.

In the past, the mantra of many white-collar crime investigators was to follow the money. That mantra still holds true. But in this new world of cybercrime, today’s forensic professionals understand that it’s often more important, and more effective, to follow the data.

If two corporate executives know that their company is about to be acquired—but the public does not know yet—those executives would be guilty of insider trading if they made trades based on their private knowledge.

Threat financing is the most violent form of financial crime. The U.S. State Department defines threat financing as the funding groups or individuals who pose a threat to domestic, international, and regional security. The term is still new and one with nuanced and evolving applications.

Something in the American psyche both glorifies and vilifies the criminal capitalist. Stories of bootstrapped “rags-to-riches” men and women dazzle the public, while the details of someone defrauding the working people result in cries for blood.

A new political tide in America is calling for deregulation and even considering rolling back the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. If that happens, the securities and commodities frauds that lay in waiting have the potential to obliterate pension funds and destabilize the global financial marketplace. The need for forensic accountants and financial investigators who have keen minds with integrity to match is dire.

Some of the most devastating crimes of the 21st century have not taken place in a dark alley, but rather in an air-conditioned office with a fountain pen. A conservative estimate puts the cost of white-collar crime at over $250 billion each year, while others suggest it is closer to $500 billion.

Barry is Managing Editor of ForensicsColleges.com, operated by educational web publisher Sechel Ventures Partners LLC, which he co-founded. Barry was previously VP for a financial software company, and currently sits on the board of a K-8 school and lives with his wife and daughters in the San Francisco Bay Area.